Saxenda May Increase Risks Of Pancreatic Cancer / Pancreas Malignancy

February 2, 2018 By Law Offices of Thomas J. Lamb, P.A.

While the current Prescribing Information, or drug label, for Saxenda (accessed 1/30/18) has a so-called “Black-Box Warning” for the risk of thyroid C-cell tumors, a type of thyroid cancer, and pancreatitis is mentioned in the Warnings and Precautions section, there is nothing about an increased risk of pancreatic cancer.

In 2014, the FDA approved Saxenda (liraglutide) for the treatment of obesity. Novo Nordisk is the responsible pharmaceutical company.

Liraglutide, the active ingredient for Saxenda, is a glucagonlike peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist. More generally, Saxenda is in the incretin mimetic class of drugs.

Four years earlier, the FDA approved another liraglutide-containing medicine, Victoza, which is a popular Type-2 diabetes drug.

Like Victoza, Saxenda has been associated with an increased risk of pancreatic cancer, or pancreas cancer, in patients using this still relatively new obesity, or weight-loss, drug.

However, the alarming difference between Saxenda and Victoza is that the standard dose of Saxenda for obesity contains 3.0 mg of liraglutide, while the standard doses of Victoza for diabetes are 1.2 mg or 1.8 mg of liraglutide. So the patient using Saxenda is getting about two-times more liraglutide than the patient using Victoza.

We are currently investigating pancreatic cancer cases involving Saxenda — as well as Victoza and other incretin mimetic diabetes drugs such as Byetta, Bydureon, Januvia, and Janumet — as drug injury lawsuits filed against the responsible pharmaceutical company based on this failure to warn about the increased risk of pancreatic cancer.

Attorney Tom Lamb

Mr. Lamb is recognized by other lawyers as practicing law at the highest level of professional experience in terms of legal ability and ethical standards — which is indicated by an AV® Preeminent™ 5.0 out of 5 rating (highest classification) rating from the Martindale-Hubbell® Lawyer Directory.

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